Personal care articles are well known in the art. Such articles can desirably be disposable. Such articles can also be absorbent and can absorb discharged bodily fluids from a user. Such absorbent articles generally comprise a fibrous mass or other absorbent structure which can absorb and hold body fluids. Similarly, it is well known that feminine care articles have been employed to absorb and hold liquids, such as urine and/or menses and/or other complex fluids. A typical structure of an absorbent article includes a fluid impermeable backsheet, a fluid permeable topsheet and an absorbent core positioned between the backsheet and the topsheet. Prior absorbent articles have also included various other features to improve fluid handling, such as intake layers, distribution layers, retention layers and the like. In these absorbent personal care articles, the topsheet is the body-facing side of the absorbent article and the backsheet is the garment-facing side of the absorbent article.
Generally, such absorbent articles are held in place during use by using the wearer's waist and elastic materials in the waist portion of the articles, in the case of pant-like garments, such as diapers and training pants, or by attaching the absorbent article to the underwear or undergarment of a wearer, in the case of pads or liners. Current methods of attaching the absorbent article to the underwear or undergarment of a wearer include placing an adhesive on the garment-facing side of the backsheet, having optional flaps (also called wings or side panels) that extend from the longitudinal sides of the absorbent article which wrap around the crotch portion of the underwear or undergarment of the wearer, and a combination of the adhesive and the flaps.
It has also been suggested to use an adhesive to adhere the absorbent article to the skin of the wearer. However, the design of these absorbent articles was essentially the same as the absorbent articles which were attached to the underwear or undergarment of the wearer. That is, the adhesive is applied to the body-facing surface of the topsheet of the absorbent structure. Alternatively, in another design, a portion of the backsheet of the absorbent structure was wrapped around and over the topsheet. This portion of the backsheet which is wrapped around and over the topsheet of the absorbent structure then becomes a body-facing surface. An adhesive is applied to the portion of the backsheet which is wrapped over the topsheet. While these designs were effective for adhering the absorbent article to the skin of a wearer, these absorbent articles were not comfortable for wearers to wear, since the shape and size of such absorbent articles were the same as those absorbent articles which were attached to the undergarment or underwear of the wearer. Furthermore, if the adhering portion came into contact with any hair in the region, such as pubic hair, removal of the garment could be excruciatingly painful to the user.
Similarly, absorbent articles that are attached to the underwear or undergarment of a wearer can also be uncomfortable for the wearer. This is because during normal movement of the body, portions of the body place opposed forces on the undergarment, which may cause the undergarment to be bunched or twisted. When this occurs, any absorbent article attached to the underwear or undergarment may also become bunched or twisted, causing discomfort to the wearer of the absorbent article. For example, the presence and absence of pressure from the absorbent article on the inner thighs as the wearer moves, which is often described by wearers as feeling “like a diaper”, is one source which compromises comfort and confidence for wearers of conventional absorbent articles, including liners, ultra-thin absorbent pads and maxi pads, for example. In addition, the movement of the wearer or deformation of the underwear while being worn may also cause the absorbent article to have a poor fit against the body of the wearer, which could result in leaks from the absorbent article.
Another disadvantage of conventional absorbent articles is that the silhouette or outline of the absorbent article may be visible to others through the clothing of the wearer. Even currently available ultra-thin absorbent articles may be visible through tight fitting outer clothing of a wearer. Therefore, conventional absorbent personal care articles do not always provide discretion for wearers.
There is a need in the art to provide wearers of absorbent articles with a discrete article which can function as an undergarment if desired, is as easy to use as a conventional pad and is comfortable to wear, and will effectively prevent or reduce premature leakage during use. A suitable body adhering absorbent article in the form of a feminine pad having an absorbent structure adhered to an extensible body adhering shell is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/890,093 filed Aug. 3, 2007, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/364,486 filed Feb. 2, 2009, each of which is incorporated by reference in manner that is consistent herewith. However, it has been discovered that a disadvantage of such pad is that it may not always provide a desirably snug fit with minimal gaps for a wide range of consumers over the entire range of movement. This is particularly apparent when the absorbent structure is adhered to the shell primarily throughout its entire length, which consequently limits extension in the posterior half of the shell. Another disadvantage is that the attachment adhesive located on the absorbent structure utilized for attaching the absorbent structure to the shell extends past the peripheral edge of the shell. Such an arrangement results in exposed adhesive which can cause discomfort for the wearer of the article. Thus, there is a further need for a body adhering absorbent article that provides a snug fit with minimal gaps for a wide range of consumers over the entire range of movement.